No one, absolutely no one, has to tell the Broncos it’s a quarterback-driven league.

They have seen it up close and personal all season long. They have felt the euphoria because of it, and some fairly dismal football moments as well.

Sunday in Indianapolis was the Broncos’ ninth game this season against a quarterback among the NFL’s top 15 in yards passing. The Broncos, now 8-5 overall and in a good scrap for an AFC wild-card playoff berth, are 4-5 in those games.

They are 4-0 in games against quarterbacks outside the top 15, which bodes well for a potential 10-win season because two of their three remaining games are against the Chiefs and Raiders, who have offenses ranked 30th and 31st in the 32-team NFL.

The cavalcade of passers has included the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers, who are Nos. 1, 3 and 5, respectively, in yards passing.

“Every week it seems like it’s somebody who can hurt you throwing the ball,” said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey.

That the Broncos still have the second-rated pass defense in the league is a testament to how well they have played at times and how much their free-agent investment in the secondary has meant.

However, most personnel executives in the league believe the Broncos need more depth and impact players up front defensively as they continue to grow into their 3-4 look.

In the four wins over the top 15 quarterbacks, the Broncos had 15 sacks combined — 3.75 per game — including getting Romo and Rivers five times each in those victories. In the five losses against the top-tier passers, the Broncos have had eight sacks combined — 1.6 per game — including no sacks against Peyton Manning on Sunday and no sacks against Rivers in the Nov. 22 loss at Invesco Field at Mile High.

There is also something to the defense getting a little help. In the four wins, the Broncos’ offense won the time of possession in three. And in the five losses, the Broncos lost the time of possession in four.

If the Broncos keep together over the final three weeks of the regular season, they will almost certainly hit the road to face a quarterback who has already been on their list.

Key matchup

The last time they played Oakland, the Broncos had their second-best rushing day of the season with 45 attempts for 215 yards.

In that Sept. 27 game, Correll Buckhalter ran for 108 yards on 14 carries, Knowshon Moreno rushed for 90 yards on 21 carries and the Broncos ran 22 more times than they threw it.

This Sunday things could look vastly different for the Broncos, who are at their best with a run-heavy mix in the play calling and a beefed-up, two-tight end formation. Buckhalter left the Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium on crutches after suffering an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out of this weekend’s game. And Moreno was walking after Sunday’s 28-16 loss to the Colts as if he may soon need a pair of crutches of his own. “It’s just football,” he said as he moved gingerly out of the Broncos’ locker room.

LaMont Jordan, who has missed practice time in recent weeks because of a back injury, and Peyton Hillis, who is not used in the Broncos’ rotation, are the team’s healthiest running backs. That may force the Broncos to use those two or their passing game more like a running game this weekend with some screen plays or other short, controlled plays.

Picking off rare win

Sunday’s victory over the Broncos was just the second time in 14 games the Colts won when Peyton Manning has thrown at least three interceptions. Both wins have come against AFC West teams. A look:

Comparison shopping

The Broncos are one of 13 teams in the NFL not averaging at least 20 points a game. The Broncos are at 19.7, having topped 20 points in only two of their past seven games — wins over the Giants and Chiefs.

Jacksonville is the only other team in the group to have a winning record.

CenturyLink, the telecommunications company that ended its sponsorship agreement with Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall because of his protests during the national anthem last year, said it will not terminate its agreement with current client Emmanuel Sanders.